course, you want to be…”
I go to elbow him, but he pulls me against his chest. The momentum makes us topple to the ground, and I land on top of him.
“Why, Cassandra!” Lawrence says with feigned shock.
I punch his shoulder and then kiss him hard.
When we sit up, Lawrence unbuttons his shirt collar. “I think
you and I need something to cool off.”
“Don’t tell me you want to go swimming.”
He searches the food on the blanket and then grabs two glass
bottles. He holds them up.
“How about a Coca-Cola instead?”
“Nice!” He tosses me a bottle and I examine it. “Vintage Coke.
They’ve stopped putting cocaine in it by the Twenties, right?”
Lawrence shrugs and lifts his Coke. “So what should we
toast to?”
“To tonight,” I say, clinking my bottle to his.
“Here’s to not getting a wink of sleep.”
I raise my eyebrows as we sip our drinks. He totally wants me.
But for the next few hours, things stay completely tame.
After a quick trip back to the house to make Mom think I’m
in bed, I sneak back out, and we eat every single piece of candy
and cookie on the picnic blanket. Then Lawrence tries to teach
me to Charleston, an endeavor that doesn’t end well. We listen
to every one of his records, dancing like fools. Well, I look like
a fool. Lawrence may be from the Twenties, but the boy has
swagger. It’s incredibly sexy.
After the records, we drink more Coke and then walk along
the shore break, laughing and running as the waves splash
against our legs. Lawrence recites poetry. I draw a portrait of
him in the wet sand. We talk endlessly about everything.
It’s perfection.
We finally settle on the blanket. I lay tucked in Lawrence’s
arms, gazing up at the stars. The rhythm of the waves lull us
into a drowsy silence.
“Cassandra,” Lawrence finally says.
“Mmm?”
He turns on his side to look at me. He brushes a lock of
windblown hair from my face. “I don’t know what will happen
in three days…”
“You
shouldn’t—”
He sets his fingers against my lips. “I don’t know what will
happen on Saturday, but I’ve decided it doesn’t matter. No
matter what, I’m lucky to have met you. And if I have to die, if
fate insists on having me, then I’ll leave this life happy. Because
I met you. Because I was able to know you and love you. Even
if just for a few weeks.”
A lump lodges in my throat. But it’s too late. I have no control over my emotions at two in the morning.
“You love me?” I ask, my voice choked.
He nods, stroking the back of his fingers down my cheek. “I
do. I’m in love with you, Cassandra.”
I can barely process his words without crying.
“I’m going to save you,” I whisper.
“But don’t you see? You already have. My soul is full just
knowing you.”
My eyes tingle with the threat of tears. “I’m in love with you
too. I can’t lose you. I need to know that all of this wasn’t for
nothing.”
He sets his hand to my cheek. “You have me tonight. That’s
all we can know for certain.”
I hold his gaze, yearning to feel the calm that he possesses.
And then I understand. Either one of us could die in the next
three days. We could die tomorrow. All we have is right now. A
fire burns through every inch of me. I kiss his hand.
“Then let’s make tonight count,” I whisper.
He kisses me, his lips soft and achingly sweet. Lawrence pulls
me on top of him, and every nerve end tingles with sensation.
I’ll worry about tomorrow later. For this one breathtaking,
beautiful moment, we have forever.
Chapter 25
Cassandra
awn on the beach is surprisingly cold. Lawrence and I
D
are wrapped in each other’s arms and the blanket, but it’s still chilly enough to wake me. In a way, it’s a good thing. I
need to sneak back inside before Mom wakes up. I turn a little,